Small cap futures flat
The Russell 2000 (NYSE: IWM) futures are little changed but the small-cap index might move up slightly.
Stocks posted large gains on Friday, when shoppers flocked to U.S. retailers for holiday shopping and post-Thanksgiving Day bargains. Sales on “Black Friday,” as it has come to be known, were 8.3% higher than a year ago, according to ShopperTrak, a provider of shopper traffic counting information software.
However, the National Retail Federation said that sales per individual shopper were down.
That tells us that the discounts offered by retailers succeeded in enticing more shoppers to visit the stores, but individual consumer spending was lower due to the effects of the slump in the U.S. housing sector, high energy prices and a credit squeeze.
No major economic releases are scheduled for today.
Here are the biggest percentage gainers and losers in pre-market trading among companies with a market cap between $100 million and $750 million:
Biggest percentage gainers:
• Cyclacel Pharmaceuticals Inc. (CYCC), up 9%.
• Wonder Auto Technology, Inc. (WATG), up 8% on news that the company expects annual profit to increase more than 60%.
• China Fire & Security Group, Inc. (CFSG), up 6% on news it was awarded a $31 million contract.
Biggest percentage losers:
• Cardiome Pharma Corp. (CRME), down 7% on news that it will delay drug trial results.
• NGAS Resources, Inc. (NGAS) down 0.2%.
• Radiation Therapy Services, Inc. (RTSX) down 0.1%.
